Spiders

How To Protect Yourself From Spider Bites

Spider FactsSpiders eat insects like flies, ants and
crickets. Many people are scared of them, but they can be helpful.
Most spiders are not a threat to humans, but some contain venom that
is harmful.

Spiders rarely bite
humans, and usually do not break the skin. Some poisonous spider
bites can cause swelling, tissue damage and disturb the function
between nerves and muscles that can lead to paralysis. The only
poisonous spiders in San Diego County are the Black Widow, Brown
Widow and the Desert Recluse. Please note that we do not have the
Brown Recluse in San Diego County.

Black WidowThe adult
female Black Widow spider has a shiny, black, round abdomen with a red
hourglass figure on the underside of it's abdomen. Adult females are
about 1/2-inch long, not including the legs. Adult male Black Widow
spiders are harmless, and about half the size of females. The male's
abdomen usually has red spots and white lines or bars.

The Black Widow Life CycleBlack Widow spiders mate in the spring and summer. The female
lays eggs in a silken sac that is about 1/2 inch in diameter. Each
sac is hung in the spider's web and is white at first and later turns
tan or gray. It usually contains 25 to 250 eggs. After about 4 weeks
in the sac, the spiderlings hatch. They become adults in 2 to 4 months.

Symptoms of a Black Widow Spider Bite

The initial pain from a
spider bite can cause an intense and burning sensation. Common
symptoms include:

Sweating

Nausea

Rapid
heartbeat

Muscle spasms

Blurred vision

Trouble breathing and swallowing

Children under the age of 6, people over the age of
60 and people at risk for cardiovascular disease are at risk of
having problems from a poisonous spider bite. Some people may also
have allergic reactions that can cause circulatory failure. To see
if they are going to have an allergic reaction, they may be kept under
observation for 24 hours.

Brown WidowThe Brown
Widow was first established in San Diego and Los Angeles County in
early 2000. Since then it has become a common member of the local
urban spider population in San Diego County and continues to expand
it's numbers across Southern California. They are mottled tan and
brown in appearance. Like the black widow, they also have a hourglass
figure on the underside of their abdomen, however it is orange in
appearance rather than red.

Desert RecluseThe Desert
Recluse is not the same as the Brown Recluse. It is found in the
Sonoran and Mojave deserts, the foothills of lower Joaquin Valley and
areas close to the Mexican border. They prefer to live in remote
unpopulated areas. They are nocturnal spiders, meaning they only come
out at night and they live under rocks and in old animal burrows.

How To Avoid Spider Bites

Wear shoes outdoors

Do not put your hands in holes,
under furniture and in woodpiles where you cannot see them

Shake out clothing, towels, shoes, gloves and boots before each
use

Use caution when using outdoor toilets, as they are
favorite places for spiders to hide